Deadline nearing to obtain Real ID for air travel

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT (WGGB/WSHM) – Bradley International Airport is sending out a friendly reminder to flyers. You have less than a year to get your Real ID or else you might not be able to catch a flight in the future.

May 7, 2025 is a date that should be circled on all air travelers calendars. It’s when the TSA will start turning folks away if they don’t have that coveted gold star atop their license or a passport. It’s a Homeland Security effort that came in response to the September 11 terrorists attacks, but implementation has been delayed several times.

“Real ID is a coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver’s license and identification parts. The improvements are intended to prohibit terrorists ability to evade detection by using fraudulent IDs,” said William Santos, TSA’s federal security director for Connecticut.

At Bradley International Airport on Thursday, Connecticut’s Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Tony Guerrera announced over 80 percent of Connecticut license holders already have Real ID, but he’s urging the others to act sooner rather than later.

“Don’t show up a week before May and think you’re going to have your license right then and there. It’s probably going to take about two or three weeks to get that license because of the verifications we have to do,”

We checked with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles website for their latest info. As of May 9, it showed that Massachusetts is 54 percent Real ID compliant. The fee for upgrading your existing license to Real ID is $25, but if it’s time to renew your license, the fee is $50, which includes the Real ID star.

TSA agents at Bradley are now handing out QR codes to help speed up the process. The code takes users to a website that will instruct them on how to get the proper paperwork needed for the Real ID.

People choosing the skies for their holiday destinations told Western Mass News the process to get their Real ID is a fairly simple process.

“In the state of Florida, when you went to renew your license, they already offered it to you. They said it was something that was going to be coming, so I just take advantage of everything, so I will be ahead of the game,” said Lawrence Bailey.

“It’s easy. You just have to show proof of residency and citizenship,” said Lauren Lowry.

“From what I remember, it was pretty easy, pretty painless,” said Clayton Leary.

If you don’t get your Real ID by the May 7, 2025 deadline, you can still use your passport as a valid form of identification to get through TSA.

You can CLICK HERE for more information on Real ID.

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